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Ralph I. Gifford Photographs, circa 1910s - 1947View associated digital content.

Predominant Dates: 1935-1947

The Ralph I. Gifford Photographs consist of images taken by Gifford throughout Oregon, primarily during the 1930s and 1940s. The photographs depict many Oregon landmarks and scenes, including the Oregon Coast, Crater Lake, Mount Hood, the Wallowa Mountains, and the Snake River Canyon. The collection includes numerous images of sport fishing as well as several photographs of Native Americans. Ralph Gifford was the son of Benjamin A. Gifford and took over his father's Portland photography business around 1920. In 1936, Ralph became the first photographer of the newly established Travel and Information Department of the Oregon State Highway Department, a position he held until his death in 1947.

Images from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.

ID: P 218-SG 2
Extent: 2.5 cubic feet
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Scope and Content Notes
Biographical / Historical Notes
Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.
Statement on Description:

We acknowledge that materials in SCARC collections and the language that describes them may be harmful. We are actively working to address our descriptive practices; for more information please see our SCARC Anti-Racist Actions Statement online.

SCARC describes the contents of its collections using the language and terminology of the collections themselves. Since culturally acceptable terminology shifts over time, some of the terms that appear in these materials are currently outdated or offensive.

Historically, "squaw" has been used as a misogynist and racist slur to disparage indigenous American women. Within this historic usage, it has been applied to place names, and scientific or colloquial names for plants. In this collection, the term "squaw" is used in the context of Panicum virgatum or "squaw grass". The term is also used to describe an image of Native American women at the Pendleton Round Up.

In order to provide historical context and to enable standardized searching and access across our collecctions, we have retained the use of this phrase in the collection description. We acknowledge the racism represented by this language and the harm it may cause our users. Providing access to these historical materials does not endorse any attitidues or behavior depicted therein. For more information on impacted collections, see the blog post.

[Date of Acknowledgement: December 2023]

Arrangement
Preferred Citation: Ralph I. Gifford Photographs (P 218-SG 2), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
Acquisition Note: The photographs were transferred from the Oregon State University Horner Museum to the University Archives in July 1996.
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